Venus Rising from the Sea ('Venus Anadyomene')

Titian lived in Venice for most of his life, but was also known throughout Europe. He may have made this work to rival a famous ancient Greek painter called Apelles. Apelles was greatly admired in the 1500s. He had painted a 'Venus Rising from the Sea', which had since been lost and was known only through a written description. Titian's Venus is a big, beautiful woman who dominates the picture. She looks unaware of being seen, like a celebrity snapped by a paparazzo while wading ashore after a swim. The only reference to her mythical status is the small scallop shell in the bottom left-hand corner.

Titian's Venus fills the canvas. The small shell floating on the water identifies the beautiful nude female as the goddess of love. The ancient Greek poet Hesiod described how Venus was born fully grown from the sea and blown to the shore on a scallop shell. Titian shows the goddess wringing her hair, a pose inspired by classical sculpture and by an account of a painting by Apelles, the most celebrated painter of ancient Greece. Titian's Venus proved that he could rival the art of antiquity and that he could make the ideal appear real. The painting is in exceptionally fine condition and was acquired from the Sutherland collection in 2003.

Titian made a greater impact on European painting than any other artist from Venice. His use of colour and development of a 'painterly' style of lively brush work has influenced generations of artists. He excelled in all types of painting, including altarpieces, religious subjects for private devotion, themes from classical mythology, allegorical works and portraits. The bright clear colours and smooth appearance of his early paintings are quite different from the more dramatic tonal contrasts and broken brushwork of his later work. He received public and private commissions from within Venice and from eminent patrons elsewhere. Titian painted many of his most celebrated pictures for King Philip II of Spain.

Credits Accepted in lieu of Inheritance Tax by HM Government (hybrid arrangement) and allocated to the Scottish National Gallery, with additional funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Art Fund (with a contribution from the Wolfson Foundation), and the Scottish Executive, 2003

Medium Oil on canvas

Size 75.80 x 57.60 cm (framed: 103.00 x 84.00 x 15.00 cm)

Do they look like real women to you or not? What is it about them that makes you think this?

No. Too perfect. Flawless. Lack of pubic hair. They are all different ages. (Woodmill High School, Dunfermline)
Poses are convincing, except the Medici. (Woodmill High School, Dunfermline)
Yes but not modern ones - not self-conscious enough (Tracey,

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What words can you think of to describe the women depicted in these art works?

Who do you think would have owned these works of art when they were made and where do you think they would have been displayed?

Men. Sculptures in great hallways or garden. Paintings in private rather than public rooms. (Woodmill High School, Dunfermline)

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How does the lack of eye contact with most of these Venuses make you feel when you look at them?

Caught unawares, natural that we shouldn't be looking at them. Magritte's painting made them feel embarrassed. Zooming in - look at me. Blatant. Shape is confrontational. The single Venus who looks straight at us has a deliberate pose and is confident and

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Why do you think that artists such as Titian were so interested in ancient art and literature?

Artists relied on myth for subject matter as they painted to commission or for wealthy patrons and a specific market. They weren't able to paint contemporary life. (Woodmill High School, Dunfermline)

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Why do you think artists have chosen to portray female nudes so often in the past?

For men, their view, their fantasies. (Woodmill High School, Dunfermline)